Long-term effects of integrated, organic and biodynamic management on above- and belowground performance and drought resilience of grapevines

Abstract

Agricultural sustainability requires production systems that maintain yields while preserving soil health and ecosystem functions. In viticulture, this challenge is particularly relevant, as grapevine performance depends on long-term soil fertility, nutrient and water balance, and ecosystem stability. The INBIODYN long-term field trial at Geisenheim University (Germany), established in 2006, compares integrated, organic, and biodynamic viticulture to assess how management systems influence vine performance and soil functioning over nearly two decades.

During the initial phase following conversion, integrated management exhibited significantly higher yields and pruning weights compared to the organic systems. However, change-point analysis revealed a distinct temporal transition approximately 8–10 years after establishment: yield gaps relative to integrated management narrowed from -28% to -11% in organic and from -27% to -7% in biodynamic plots. Crucially, in vintages classified as “hot & dry”, the organic system actually achieved +2.3% and the biodynamic system +9.0% relative yield compared to integrated management. Despite lower early-season vigor, both fruit quality parameters (total soluble solids, acidity) and disease incidence (Botrytis) remained comparable among systems.

Complementary belowground investigations revealed that organic and biodynamic management promoted greater total and fine-root length and surface area, particularly in the upper soil layers, and altered seasonal soil moisture and nitrogen dynamics. Organic and biodynamic soils exhibited higher mineralized nitrogen availability especially later in the season, reflecting higher mineralization rates. Soil moisture monitoring revealed greater early-season competition for water in the organic and biodynamic systems due to diverse cover crops, but enhanced topsoil recharge later in the season restored moisture levels to those of the integrated system, suggesting improved infiltration and water retention.

Together, these findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the long-term yield recovery and drought adaptation observed in organically and biodynamically managed vines. Enhanced root proliferation, improved nutrient cycling, and moderated soil-water relations appear to underpin the gradual shift towards higher system resilience. The INBIODYN trial thus demonstrates that agroecological management can sustain productivity and stability in perennial systems under increasing climatic variability, emphasizing the importance of time, soil-plant feedbacks, and ecosystem processes in evaluating sustainability transitions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Department of General and Organic Viticulture at Hochschule Geisenheim University, especially the vineyard operation team for their long-term commitment and dedicated management of the trial vineyard. We thank the laboratory team of the Department of General and Organic Viticulture for their extensive work in analyzing juice quality parameters throughout the study. We are also indebted to the Department of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition for their support in conducting leaf and soil nutrient analyses over many years, and to the Department of Beverage Research for performing FTIR-based measurements. We extend our sincere thanks to Dottenfelderhof for providing the biodynamic preparations. This research was supported by the German Viticulture Research Association and the Software AG Foundation.